Graf 735 skates - not working

[vek 0]

Hi Gents,

Quick question - I've been skating for about 4 years in a Nike skate, not quite sure of the model. It says "apollo" on it, and looks pretty similar to the flexlites. They're starting to break down, so I went out and tried a few different pairs on, and was happy with the fit of the Graf 735, so I bought them.

However, I've been skating on them for 3 games, and the experience has been abysmal. I feel like I'm falling forward, I'm completely unstable, and watching me, you'd think I was in my first year on skates.

I understand that these skates have a forward tilt to them compared to my old skates, but I didn't expect such a negative experience.

Can anyone suggest any solutions? Can these skates be re-profiled similarly to my old skates, if I bring them to a reputable hockey shop? Am I better off trading/selling these things?

Advice appreciated!

[heavyd 0]

Had the same problem with my 735's, i got used to it after about 3 skates. Your other option would be to change the holders. I would keep your skates, i think the 735 is a great skate.

[cbart 1]

You can get a negative profile on them, or add lifts in the front...

[vek 0]

I'm not sure if I want to throw any more money at this problem, so I'll probably not bother switching the holders. Perhaps I'll ask them for a negative profile on the blades, give it a couple more skates, and if there's no improvement, I'll try to trade them in towards something else.

thanks for the responses.

[sk8z27 0]

I believe that is just the nature of the Graf's. I actually just got some new 703's and had that same problem, although I actually liked the forward pitch. I made the mistake of putting on some TUUK LS 2's and hated it. I felt like I was on ski's and it put me in a more neutral position like I was on my heels. I could've profiled them, but I just put the old holders back on. Which leads me to another problem with all the holes drilled in the footbed.

[Viking 1]

If you still have your Nikes, (assuming they're the same size) you can just have the holders taken off them and put on the Grafs (they'll have to drill new holes, but it shouldn't be a problem for them to do). Or you can just get the Grafs profiled to match the Nikes. Either way, if the store at all knows what they're doing, you're probably going to solve the problem, and are not going to end up spending much money on this. I felt the same way when I got my first Graf skates, coming from a lifetime of Custom+ holders. After 3-4 skates, I got used to them, and actually found it was more comfortable and the forward pitch corrected some problems with my skating. I intended to keep my old skates for the pond/recreational skating and stuff, but now I can't really skate in them anymore.

[krwwc6 0]

Honestly I'd say give it a little more time. Go to some open skate sessions or some shinny sessions and get a better feel for the skates. If you still can't stand the change, then it may be time to make an adjustment. I changed from custom + to the forward pitch of the cobra holders. It took a while to get used to it, but now I love them. That forward pitch forces you to get the knee bend that you should have in the first place. I think it has improved my skating greatly. . . but it sucked getting used to it.

[duch 0]

I will agree with the last three posters and say you need to give it a bit of time. Going from a Tuuk set up to the forward profile of a Cobra blade is probably one of the most difficult transitions to make. Your going from a blade where your leaning slightly back, to an agressive forward lean, in essence going from skating back on your heels to way forward on your toes. Even the best players have to take a bit of time to adjust to this change.

If you find you are absolutely unable to adjust to the Graf profile you can go to LHS and have them profiled to a Nike/Bauer -1 profile. or even replace the Cobras with Lightspeed 2 holders. I would only do this as a last resort however. You should really give yourself the time to adjust and see how you can skate with the Graf stance.

[vek 0]

Thanks guys for the advice, which I'll take. I'll wear them for my tuesday and thursday games this week, and see if they feel any better.

Its just frustrating to be skating at 60% of my ability, which is already questionable.

[phoenixgold 0]

there are a sweet pair of pro return kaberle grafs on ebay right now and they have the tukk holder on them. you could always change it up

[texspeleo 0]

If they're 8.5R, you could send them to me here in Colorado Springs, and I'd be glad to test them out for you for a season or two. :D I went from Vapor XXXs to Graf 301s after losing a couple toes (not to hockey), and noticed the forward pitch too. I probably would have adapted to it pretty well, but when all of the swelling and stuff went down and my Grafs were too big, I went back to Vapors.

[Hockeydog 8]

I agree, give it some time. However if you keep the skates and want to duplicate the feel of your old skates just changing the holders or using the same blade profile may not totally work. Every boot also contributes to overall pitch so you may need to work with your LHS a bit. If you have a good one they can get you pretty close with a blade profile suggestion or the right amount of added lift. Just as a side note I skated a pair of Eastons I have for the first time in 6 months last week. I always felt neutral to a bit forward on those skates but after 6 months they felt slightly heel down. Just shows how your body will adapt. I'd say if it doesn't come naturally in several good sessions on the ice look into some adjustments.